Austin Winston
by Eshlyn Kar
Summary: Dally has a twin brother who was there that night in the park. This is how things would have gone different. No slash, lotsa friend & brotherly love. Possible OCs.
1. Baseball bats and Knives

So haven't decided yet whether this is gonna be a one-shot or if I'm going to embellish on this. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas.

* * *

Johnny panicked as the two Socs held him down and the others were drowning Ponyboy. He was so scared he was shaking from head to toe. He wouldn't let these Socs hurt him again, wouldn't let them hurt Pony. He grabbed him knife from his back pocket and prepared stab one of the boys closest to him. Suddenly a streak of white and blue tackled the guy holding Johnny down. The new arrival punched the Soc in the face as hard as he could and then jumped up. He had a baseball bat which he used to smash the guy holding Pony under the water in the back of his knee. The guy cried out and fell to the ground holding his knee, letting go of Pony, who flopped onto the ground, gasping huge breathes of air into his deprived lungs. The new guy looked at Johnny and yelled for him to get the gang. He took off running. The other three Socs tackled the new guy to the ground but he was able to fight them off. He was holding his own until the first guy grabbed the dropped bat and hit the new guy right on the jaw. Just then Darry, Soda and Johnny came running into the park. Seeing that they were now outnumbered, the Socs hightailed it for their car. Darry ran to Ponyboy and was asking him over and over if he was all right. Soda ran over to the downed rescuer.

"I'm fine Dar," Pony asked pushing Darry off him; he was feeling a little crowded.

"I'm so sorry Pony. I didn't mean to hit ya," Pony looked at his brother only to discover tears in his brother's eyes.

"I know Dar," Pony said giving his brother a hug. Meanwhile Soda and Johnnny were checking on the mystery baseball batter.

"Austin, are you okay?" Sodapop asked Johnny and Ponyboy's savior. Austin groaned and sat up, gingerly rubbing his chin.

"No, I think he broke my mother ----- jaw!" Austin mumbled painfully. Soda helped the downed man back to the house, Johnny, Darry, and Pony right behind them.

Austin was Dallas's twin brother. He had the same blue piercing eyes and blonde hair. Just like his brother he liked to have his hair shaggy and long instead of short or greased. Though they were identical twins, Austin was everything his brother was not. Dallas was cold and unfeeling, Austin was jolly and loving. They had gone through the most of the same stuff growing up and while all of their terrible circumstances left Dallas cold and jaded, Austin didn't let it bother him. He loved the good stuff too much to let the bad stuff get him down.

Once the boys got back to the house Darry went and grabbed a pack of ice for Austin and ordered Ponyboy to get changed and go to bed.

"Damn rotten Socs, why can't they just stay on their side and leave us alone," Sodapop complained going to his room to check on Ponyboy.

"Johnny you stay here tonight okay?" Darry said bringing out some extra blankets for him, "You can stay too if you need Austin."

Austin grunted and grabbed a blanket. His jaw was killing him. He had been playing some baseball with some pals from Tim's gang and some school friends over by the school. They loved playing midnight baseball. Austin was going back to stay at the Curtis's house, when he heard a bunch of hollering from the park. He recognized Pony and Johnny's voices and booked it over there to give them a hand. Dallas and he had learned very young how to fight outnumbered. They fought dirty and they fought hard, both of them tough as nails. He saw the knife in Johnny's hand when he came running to help. The kid was scared as hell and like an animal trapped in a corner, he was going to fight back. Austin was just happy he had made it there in time to stop him from doing something he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Aussie, thanks. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved our asses back there," Johnny's sentence came tumbling out and Austin smiled at him and replied, "No problem kid, Dallas would kill me if anything happened to ya."

Austin let Johnny have the couch and he took the floor. Austin quickly fell asleep to the sound of Johnny breathing softly on the couch above him thanking God that he had gotten there in time.


	2. Jaw Ache

Austin awoke with one hell of a headache. Make that a jaw-ache. He quietly went to the washroom and saw that his jaw was a livid black and blue. Though the bone wasn't broken, the skin was sure tender. Austin grabbed a few aspirins and threw them into his mouth, dry swallowing them. He went pee and then took a quick shower. He was grimy and sweaty and he had to work today. He was working at a department store over in the east side and had to prim up a bit. Dallas and he were saving up to get their own place, and they were getting close to having enough to put a down payment on an apartment a few blocks from the Curtis'. They would have had the money months ago if Dallas would learn to quit gambling and drinking his money away. Austin shook his head affectionately at the thought of his twin. He was the only one who knew that Dallas and he were more similar than they were given credit for. Dallas loved just as fiercely as he hated, he just hid it ten times better. Living with a drunkard father and unforgiving circumstances had taught his brother to be tough or be trampled. Austin on the other hand had been sheltered from most of that by his brother. Austin had been rather sick as a child and young teen and so Dallas had taken on the role of older, protective brother, even though they were the same age. Dallas took most of the beatings, when he could and tried to keep Austin from most of the abuse.

Austin finished his shower and walked into Darry's room in his towel. He often stayed at the Curtis' and often borrowed the oldest's clothes. Darry didn't mind just as long as he brought them back and did the laundry every once in awhile. Darry was awake and already getting breakfast ready by the time Austin was ready for the day. He strode into the kitchen with his jeans on and his white t-shirt flipped over his shoulder. He grabbed a piece of bread and put on some peanut butter and threw on some Doritos chips. Darryl shook his head at Austin's strange sandwich but kept his mouth shut. Just because Austin was happier doesn't mean he wasn't just as dangerous as his brother. Austin tried to eat the sandwich but soon discovered that it was much too painful. He offered the rest to Darry who shook his head and told him to just throw it in the fridge for later. Austin always made sure to give some of his money and food to the Curtis' because he spent so much time there. Darry was much to proud to accept money from him so Austin would just leave cash in the jean pockets he borrowed from him.

Darry yelled for Pony to get up and start getting ready for school. Sodapop yelled back that it was a Saturday. Darry sheepishly apologized and ate his breakfast, while reading the newspaper. Johnny had left by the time Austin made it into the living room and he turned on the television. He didn't have to work till two, but still liked to get up early.

"How you feeling Fergie?" Darry asked Austin handing him a cold beer. Darry didn't like having booze around the house, in case a social worker came by but Two-bit had left two in the fridge a few nights ago. Austin took it gratefully as he turned the tv onto baseball, putting the beer on his cheek. The boys called him Fergie after his favorite baseball player Ferguson "Fergie" Jenkins. Austin really loved baseball. He was on the highschool team and was pretty sure he was gonna get a scholarship for it.

"Fine," Austin tried to say but it came out as more of a mumble. It was painful to talk.

"Ok, well I'm off to work. Thanks again for what you did last night man, I can't even imagine what could have happened," Darry trailed off and Austin nodded absentmindedly, caught up in the rerun game.

"Get to work Dar, you're gonna be late," he slurred as Darry stood there for a minute, not sure whether he should take Austin to the doctor. He decided Austin would probably hit him if he offered and took off. A half hour later Sodapop came out of his room and plopped down beside Austin. Austin was switching between icing his face with the beer and drinking it. It was certainly helping alot. Sodapop grabbed some breakfast (the unfinished sandwich) and then watched the game with Austin.

Soon Ponyboy came out of his room and took a shower. His lungs were still burning a bit from the night before and he was pretty sure that he had caught a slight cold. He figured a long hot shower would cure him. By the time he was done the hot water was all gone and he was feeling much better. While he had showered he had thought about the night before. He still couldn't believe that his older brother, Darry, superman, had actually cried. Pony had always figured he was such a tough guy that it had really thrown him for a loop that his brother actually cared that much about him. Soda had always told him that Darry yelled because he cared and now Pony was starting to see that. After he went to his room Pony had changed out of his sopping clothes into some new dry ones. He got into bed and waited for Soda. Once Soda got into the bed, Pony realized he was crying.

"What's wrong Soda?" Pony asked turning to his brother.

"We were so scared we had lost you Pony. Lost you like we lost mom and dad," Soda hiccuped. Pony snuggled into his big brother's arms and letting him know that he was still there.

"You know, Darry didn't even cry at our parent's funeral. But he cried when he realized he had made you run away. He really does love you Ponyboy," Soda said to Pony, no longer crying.

"I know Soda, I know that now."

Pony was drying off his hair and throwing on some pants when he heard a commotion from the next room, coming back to the present. He walked out into the living room to see a very pissed off Dallas Winston.

"Who the hell do they think they are! Those stupid low life socs!" Dallas yelled, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Soda was looking at him worriedly, while Austin was still watching the game on the tv.

"Would you keep it down man? The game," Austin said from the couch, sipping his beer. Pony nearly flinched, only Austin could tell Dallas to be quiet and not get his ass whooped. Even though the two play fought, they never actually hit each other. When they got mad at each other, which rarely happened, they just glared or yelled until one of them gave in and then they reconciled. Even so Dallas looked like he wanted to hit Austin right then.

"How can you be so calm? Look at what they did to your face. I saw Johnny today too man. He was freaking terrified! I'm gonna kill those damned socs!" Dallas continued on his angry rant, while Austin just sipped his beer calmly, watching the television. Pony decided to get out of the room before Dallas spotted him and decided to take his anger out on him. Boy were those two brothers ever trouble.


	3. Lunch at the Dingo

"Dallas, let up would you. I know your pissed but I got them just as bad as they got me, all right. And I'm fine. It could be worse you know," Austin was getting tired of his brother's ranting. He had missed the last fifteen minutes of the game because his stupid brother wouldn't shut up. He could tell both Sodapop and Ponyboy were scared by the ranting and it wasn't right to make people afraid in their own homes.

"Why don't we go grab some lunch at the Dingo before I've got to work," Austin got up off the couch and finished the beer he had been nursing for the past hour. He threw on his shirt and Dallas and Austin left the Curtis' without further ado. They made their way across town to the Dingo.

"Tim caught up with you last night I guess," Austin noticed Dallas was limping slightly and looked like he had had a good tousle.

"Yeah, dirty bastard said I slashed his tires," Dallas tried to act innocent which made Austin laugh. If there was one thing that was not his brother it was innocent. Dallas had lost his innocence long ago. Back when Austin and Dallas were kids in New York, Austin was really sick one day, more so than usual. The doctors figured Austin had TB but they didn't have the money for treatment. Austin was burning with fever and had lost so much weight in the past few months that Dallas didn't think his brother was going to live past the week. So ten-year-old Dallas decided to break into a drugstore and get the medicine his brother needed. He managed to pull it off, but was hauled in the next day. Austin never did understand how the state could send a ten year old to prison but that's what happened. 90 days in prison. Austin got better thanks to the medicines his brother got for him and some help from a neighbor but Dallas was never the same after those three months.

"You did slash his tires."

"That's besides the point," Dallas argued and the brothers laughed it off. By the time the two made it to the Dingo they were pretty riled up. They ordered their drinks and some hamburgers. The brothers were laughing and teasing each other when Tim Shepherd came into the restaurant. He spotted the twins and made his way over. Even though him and Dallas had just had a scuffle, they were still buddies. There was no bad blood between the two of them.

"Hey Shepherd, how're you feeling this morning?" Austin asked leaning back in his seat. Tim grabbed a chair from the table beside theirs and sat on it backwards.

"Pretty good, your no good brother must be loosing his touch. I'm not even sore today," Tim joked as he grabbed a fry from Dallas' plate. Dallas slapped his hand and took the fry back.

"Yeah whatever, and that shiner is from you running into a door right," Dallas sipped on his coke.

"What happened to your mug Fergie?" Tim asked spotting Austin's livid jaw.

"Soc's jumped little Curtis and Johnny. I came across them and got a bat to the face for all my kindness," Austin said between bites. His jaw wasn't hurting nearly as much anymore, the booze had numbed it quite a bit.

"The kids alright?" Tim asked, more out of politeness than actual worry.

"Yeah they're fine. Those damn Soc's really stepped over the line last night. They tried to drown Pony, kid coulda died had Austin not come by, that's what Johnny told me." Dallas said bitterly.

"You think a rumble is in order?" Tim asked.

"When the Soc's get too full of themselves and jumpings start to get dangerous, like last night, its time for us Greasers to put them back in their places."

"I think a good ass whooping would help things out a lot around here," Dallas agreed with Austin.

"Alright I'll talk to the Brumlys and we'll see if we can't get ourselves a rodeo for the weekend," Tim sighed suddenly as his kid brother, Curly came strolling into the joint.

"Curly over here," Tim called the teen over, as Curly started to flirt with a busty blonde waitress. Curly ignored his brother and continued to flirt.

"Stupid kid doesn't realize that that broad already has a boyfriend. Hope you boys are itching for a tussle cuz I'm gonna need backup if Curly gets thrown into something," Tim looked at the blonde's boyfriend and his group of four, who were eyeing the teen with contempt.

Curly, having grabbed the girl's ass, was getting thrown into street by the boyfriend. Tim was up in split seconds and the twins followed. "Lucky us," Dallas said sarcastically, flexing his fist in anticipation.


	4. Curly You Stupid Horny Kid

Tim wasn't going to step in, knowing his brother could hold his own until the boyfriend grabbed a pipe. The guy was two times as big and five years older than Curly, so the pipe was completely unnecessary. The boyfriend knocked Curly in the stomach with the pipe and Tim was pissed. Tim tapped the guy on the shoulder and decked him as he turned towards him. He didn't worry about the boyfriend's backup, knowing that the twins were covering his back. The twins would do stupid stuff like mess with his car or his girl but when it came down to it, they were as loyal as dogs. Great friends to have around in a pinch. Tim dodged the boyfriend as he swung the pipe at his head. He heard Dallas growl angrily behind him and suddenly felt sorry for whoever had incurred the twin's wrath. Tim hadn't been completely truthful earlier when he had said he wasn't hurting from his fight the night before and was slower than usual. The meat-head boyfriend caught him just above the elbow with the pipe. Tim swore violently, he was sure it was broken. The boyfriend was about to bring the pipe down on Tim's head when his kid brother jumped on the guy's back and choked him to unconsciousness.

"Yeah, that's what you get your stupid cheating bastard," Curly yelled spitting on the guy. "You okay Tim?"

"Son of bitch! Curly you stupid horny little kid, couldn't you just have kept your hands to yourself," Tim yelled nursing his arm. The scrap with the four backups had ended and the losers dragged their unconscious pal away. Dallas and Austin were fine, though Dallas had split his lip, again. He wiped the blood from his chin and spit the blood from his mouth.

"Oh man, I got blood on my shirt! I gotta work in like half an hour," Austin complained looking at the sleeve of his t-shirt.

"You can borrow mine. Let's split, I think the waitress forgot about our bill in the commotion," Dallas said heading down the street.

"You okay Tim?" Austin asked as they walked away.

"Fucking fine. I'm gonna go home and grab some pills. Thanks for the backup guys, talk to you later. Curly let's go," Tim walked away with a cowed Curly.

The twins continued on their way. Dallas, or one of the other gang members, usually walked with Austin to work. Though the shop wasn't too far into the soc's territory, it was still a constant threat.

The brother's traded shirts and Dallas left Austin at the front doors of the shop.

* * *

Ponyboy was glad to come out of him room at last, now that Dallas had left. Sodapop had the day off and they had planned on going to the movies. One with lots of action, to keep Soda occupied. The two walked to the theatre together and Pony couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was outside. The sun was shining bright and most of Tulsa seemed to be out and about today. The two of them snuck into the movie, since neither of them felt the need to pay. Money was much too scarce to waste.

After the movie the brothers decided to go to the park. The park was big and bright. The playground was filled with playing children and loving couples sat around the fountain Pony had almost drowned in. It was completely different than the way it had looked last night. Getting some ice-cream from the ice-cream truck the brothers sat in the grass enjoying the hot sun.

"It's really too bad Darry couldn't get the day off too," Soda commented wiping the chocolate from around his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Maybe sometime this summer the three of us could go to the country, like we used to before," Ponyboy said hopefully. He missed the days his parents would take him and his brothers to the country.

"Yeah, we'll see. That would be awesome," Soda got up from the ground. It was almost supper and Darry would be expecting some food when he got home.


	5. Buck's, Church, and the Rodeo

The rest of Austin's day was completely uneventful. Work was tedious but no hassle with Soc's or anything, so he was happy. He jaw was throbbing again, so he decided to go to Buck's to get drunk. He closed up shop and Dallas was there waiting for him.

At Buck's the party was in full swing, despite the fact that it was only ten o'clock. Austin was happy to see the selection of girls there tonight. His bruised jaw sure made him look tuff and he was itching for some female company. One broad in particular caught his eye. A tall dirty blonde, with tight jeans and a light yellow top, eyed him from across the room. He sauntered over, grabbing a second beer on his way over.

"Hey there gorgeous mind if I sit down beside ya?" Austin asked handing her the beer. She nodded taking the beer.

"What happened to your jaw?" She asked over the music, her eyes meeting his. She had extraordinary eyes. Baby blues, with specks of yellow in them. They looked green from far away, but up close they were blue.

Austin gave a dramatic interpretation of the night in the park and the girl giggled teasingly.

"Well it's good to know not all the hero's are gone. My name's Danae."

"Austin," the two talked for a while. She explained how she was new to the town, moving from Chicago with her parents and her two older brothers. She was seventeen. Austin decided he actually liked the girl and asked for her number, which she gave him. She left early with a couple girlfriends, claiming a curfew. Austin got good and drunk and stayed the night at Buck's. He went to bed around twelve, having to get up early the next morning. Dallas had left with some girl, and Austin suspected that he would stay the night there.

* * *

Upon waking, Austin was pleasantly surprised to find he didn't have a hangover. He pulled on his clothes and booked it over to the Curtis'. He had secured a car from one of Buck's buddies the night before. He pulled up in front of the Curtis' house where Johnny and Ponyboy were waiting outside for him. Both boys were dressed in their nice clothes and didn't have much grease in their hair. Pony handed Austin a suit jacket and pants, which Austin threw on quick before they headed out. The three of them were going to church. Austin brought them every Sunday. He wasn't exactly sure what he thought of religion but he definitely believed in God. The one thing his mother had imparted on him before her death was her faith. The woman had gone to church every Sunday and was as pious as a woman in her situation could be. She had taken both Austin and Dallas to church before her death when the boys were six.

The rest of the gang had tried to go to church once, but that had ended rather embarrassingly so just the three of them went now. They were a little late and so the boys quietly slipped into the back row. The pastor introduced a new family to the congregation and Austin was shocked to see Danae there. She was sitting near the front with her family. She was in a blue summer dress, which made her eyes pop. Austin couldn't stop staring at her the entire service.

After church Austin went over to Danae.

"Hey, welcome to the church" He said politely. She turned to him in shock, quickly replaced by a smile.

"What a surprise. I didn't figure you for the church going type. Though I must admit you do clean up well," she said quietly. Her family was talking to the pastor and his wife beside them. Her older brothers were eyeing Austin carefully and Austin studied them politely. Both had the same eyes as their sister but one had dark brown hair while the other had wheat colored hair. They both looked quite strong, farm boys no doubt. Burly and muscular, they looked like they could give Darry a run for his money.

"Yeah I'm full of surprises ain't I," Austin said smiling brightly. Danae's mom called her over, trying to introduce her to the pastor and his wife.

"I'll see you around then," she said more as a question then a comment.

"For sure, next Sunday. Have a great day," Austin watched her walk away and then went back to Pony and Johnny. Ignoring their stares he walked out to the car. The three were going to meet the rest of the gang at the rodeo. Both Dallas and Austin were participating that day. The two of them were long standing champions at the team roping competition. The rodeo they were going to today was a small local event, but the twins had participated in a couple state competitions with good results. Besides the team roping, Dallas excelled in the Saddle bronc competition and Austin in the steer wrestling.

The gang was already at the arena by the time the three got there. Austin changed into jeans, boots and a red canyon tattooed shirt with his white t-shirt underneath. He ran up to his impatient brother who was waiting for him.

"Frick man, thought you weren't gonna make it. We've gotta go. We're up in like five minutes," he said handing Austin his chaps, bandanna and gloves. Austin put them on as they ran to the gate where they were to get ready for their first run. Their first event was the team roping.

"Aussie! Your hat," Two-Bit ran up with the old Stetson hat and handed it to the cowboy as he was mounting his horse, which Soda had saddled for him. None of the gang owned horses; they all rode for a local rancher named John Ware. He provided them with their horses and equipment and in exchange the boys worked for him whenever he needed a hand, as well as a share in any prize money they won. The twins hadn't grown up around horses or any of that culture but when they moved to Tulsa the two picked up the rodeo fever. It came naturally to them. Their first jobs were with John Ware at his ranch. The boys had run away from home at 14. They had come to Tulsa because of the dry climate for Austin's TB. John had given them a home and a job.

Dallas was going to be header this run while Austin was heeler. The steer was a lean white spotted Corriente cow. He was loaded into a chute and the boys waited in the boxes on either side of the animal. Dallas was on the left and Austin on the right. The gate flew open and the cow ran straight out. Dallas was out a few seconds later, having given the cow a head start. He roped the cow around it's horns and turned the animal with his horse to the left, still running with it. Austin waited until the steer had been turned before loosing his rope. He caught the cow around both back legs. Dallas turned his horse towards the cow and Austin and pulled the rope tight. The animal was immobilized and the timer stopped. 6.4 seconds. They were the current leaders.


	6. Unfortunate Accident

The gang was all there to congratulate the twins on their win. All of the gang was here today, even Darry. They all loved the rodeo. Steve, Two-Bit and Sodapop had joined in on the events. Soda was real good at the barrel racing. Two-Bit loved calf roping and Steve was a pro bull rider. The gang usually won a few prizes. The money was a lot of help to most of them. None of them were well off and any amount of money was good for them.

Dallas jumped into the stands and sat beside Johnny and Pony who were still in their church clothes. Pony loved the rodeo just as much as everyone else but Darry thought he was too young to participate in any of the events, which bummed the fourteen year old out. Darry came with popcorn and drinks and they watched as Austin, Soda, Two-Bit and Steve race in the barrel races. Barrel racing wasn't really Dallas' cup of tea. Soda came in first, Two-Bit in third. There were 12 contestants for the barrel racing and Austin came in fifth and Steve was eighth. The girl's event was next so the entire gang sat together in the bleachers watching.

"Hot damn that girl is a looker," Steve whistled as a red haired girl, with a black top rode. She came in first and Steve wandered over to flirt with her. The gang watched as Steve was embarrassingly turned away.

The steer wrestling was next and Austin saddled his Appaloosa named Nanook. He was white with red brown spots all over his body. The horse was fast and strong, great for steer wrestling. Austin had helped brake and train him and had ridden the horse for four years. Austin was set on winning as many prizes today as possible. Him and Dallas were only a few hundred dollars short to put a down payment on their apartment.

Nanook happily allowed Austin to saddle him. He loved rodeos as much as Austin. Austin pet the horse as he waited for his turn. Sodapop was going to ride hazer with him. A hazer was a second rider who ran beside the steer to keep it running in a straight line. Austin rode his horse into the box beside the chute and doubled check his equipment before calling for the steer and the chute man tripped the lever, releasing the steer and Soda. A rope attached to the steer opened Austin's gate once it was the appropriate distance. Nanook sprung forward and the pair quickly overtook the steer. Austin leaned over grabbing the steer. Letting the steer pull him off Nanook, he threw his heels into the dirt, slowing him and the steer down. He grabbed the cow's nose and flipped it onto its back. Once all four of the steer's legs were in the air, the timer stopped. 5.8 seconds. Austin waited while the rest of the riders went. He placed first and went to collect his money.

Dallas was excited for his next event. Saddle bronc was his favorite event. It was dangerous and exhilarating. The horse he had chosen today was a five-year-old black mustang with lots of spunk. He had ridden the horse three or four times before and always had a good ride. The event was coming up soon so Dallas got up to get into place. Leaving the gang at their seats Dallas walked over to the bucking chute and waited for his horse to be brought in. When it was his turn, Austin and Steve came to help him get set up. Steve checked the saddle while Austin made sure Dallas' hand was strapped in right. When both were sure of the equipment, the horse was let loose. The first few seconds went well, Dallas was keeping his balance and figured the ride would be breeze. Suddenly the crowd screamed as a kid fell off the rail into the arena. The bucking horse was headed directly for the fallen kid. Dallas could see the panic on the young girl's face, as the horse was about to crush her. Dallas acted without thinking, pulling on the corded rope with both hands as the horse reared up on its back legs. This pulled the horses head sharply to the right causing it to lose it's balance and fall backwards, with Dallas trapped underneath.


	7. At the Hospital

Steve watched in horror as the little girl fell into the path of the bucking horse. Austin had jumped into the arena the second the little girl had fallen and Steve followed him. As he ran behind Austin, he knew he wasn't going to get to her in time. Steve watched as his friend pulled the rope throwing the horse off its path towards the girl but the horse fell heavily on is side and onto Dallas. Austin scooped up the girl and threw her back over the rail, avoiding the horse as it kicked and struggled to get back up. The horse got up and ran away, and Dally was left on the ground. Steve dropped down beside him and didn't know what to do. Dallas was unconscious on his back. There was blood around his mouth, nostrils and ears. Austin was beside him putting pressure on a wound on his brother's right leg. It looked like the bone had broken and stuck out his leg. His jeans were stained with blood. The standby medical personnel were there seconds later, pushing Steve and Austin out of the way. They assessed Dallas' injuries and brought out a stretcher. Putting Dallas into a neck brace they loaded him onto the stretcher and took him to an ambulance, which was on standby for events like this. Austin went with them in the ambulance. I was startled when Soda put his hand on my shoulder. I hadn't noticed the gang come up to me.

"We'd better get to the hospital," Darry said and we all made our way to the cars. On our way I saw the little girl who had fallen into the arena. She was a tiny thing with blonde ringlets and a pink dress. Her mother was holding her tight. When she saw us she ran over.

"Is your friend going to alright?" She asked with tears in her eyes. The little girl clung to her mother and looked to be about four years old. She had tear streaks on her pretty little face.

"We're not sure, we're going to the hospital right now," Darry explained. A blonde man came over putting his arm around the mother and baby.

"That cowboy saved my girl's life. Is there anything we can do to help?" he asked kindly.

"His name is Dallas, and we just need to get to the hospital," Steve told him, trying not to sound angry. What was that little girl doing on the railing anyway. Weren't her parents watching her, keeping her safe. If they had been any kind of good parent's his friend wouldn't be on his way to the hospital, fighting for his life.

"I'm a police officer, I could give you guys an escort," he said kissing his wife, leaving her with a promise to be right back. He escorted the gang to the hospital and they made it there a lot faster than if they had gone by themselves.

Austin was pacing in the waiting room. He had blood on his hands and his white t-shirt. Austin looked about ready to cry but he was holding it together for now.

"Any news?" Darry asked and Austin shook his head.

"Just what the paramedics told me. They think he might have internal bleeding and he broke his leg. The bone was sticking out of the skin. They think he may have cut his artery. There sure was a lot of blood," Austin nervously wiped his face with his hands and seemed to just notice he was covered in blood and visibly paled. Sodapop took him over to the washroom to get cleaned up.

"Man I never woulda guessed Dallas would risk his life like that for some snot nosed kid," Steve said sitting down.

"He hates kids. I once saw him push a little boy off his bike, just for fun," Two-Bit chuckled slightly. The gang worriedly sat together waiting for news on their friend.

* * *

Austin washed the blood from his face and hands in the washroom and had to use every ounce of self-control not to vomit. It's not like he hadn't seen Dally pretty banged up before, he just hadn't ever been covered in his blood like this without his brother there to joke about it and make him feel better. He was thankful Soda had come with him because he didn't think he could be alone right now. Austin used to have panic attacks when he was younger and he could tell he was on the verge of one right now. He viciously scrubbed his hands but the blood was stubbornly clinging to them. He growled in frustration and violently punched the wall beside him repeatedly. Soda grabbed him and pulled him away from the wall.

"Whoa, take it easy buddy. Look now you've busted up your hand," Soda said grabbing Austin's hand. He had split his knuckles open but Austin didn't even notice. Tears streamed out of the corner of his eyes as he shut them tight. He collapsed against the wall pulling his knees up to his chest and putting his head on his knees. He kept his hands as far away from him as possible. He cried and his breath hiccupped as he let his pent up emotions out. Soda sat beside him, making small circles on his back with his hand.

"It's gonna be alright man. Dallas is tougher than nails, he'll make it through this," Soda soothed. Soda was worried, Austin wasn't really breathing properly in his panicked state. The gang was always worried that the TB would come back. Austin always had trouble with his lungs when he got too worked up. Soda tried to calm the twin down, talking to him in low tones. Austin wasn't like Dallas; he actually let his friends into his life, actually showed emotion. This wasn't the first time he had cried with Soda. Sodapop wondered if Dallas hadn't been sent to prison so young if he would be more like Austin, less like ice.

Several minutes later, when Austin had calmed down a bit, Soda helped him clean his busted hand. Austin took off the bloody t-shirt and threw it in the trash. He had taken off his red canyon shirt to staunch the bleeding on his brother's leg.

"You planning on just walking around in your skin?" Soda asked in amusement. He took off his shirt, having another underneath. Austin took it gratefully and threw it on his wiry frame.

"You feeling better now?" Sodapop asked concerned. Austin rinsed his face with cold water and nodded. The two joined the gang outside and waited for word on Dallas.


	8. Shoulda Squished the Booger Monster

Please Reveiw. Feedback is very helpful and encouraging!

Austin nervously fidgeted as he waited for news about his brother. Johnny, who was sitting beside him, had finally fallen asleep. The rest of the gang was either sleeping or had gone to grab a bite to eat. They had waited two hours before a doctor came out to tell them Dallas had to go into surgery. Now they were waiting again.

Johnny snored softly beside him and Austin looked at him affectionately. The kid was important to Dallas, so he was important to Austin. Dally had a big brother complex. The first time he had seen Johnny, all bruised from a beating from his dad, Dallas had become instantly protective. He had even gone over to Johnny's a few times and roughed up his dad, telling him if he ever touched Johnny again, he'd kill him. It didn't help. Johnny's dad was always too fucking drunk to remember. Dallas and Austin hadn't told him yet, but they were planning on asking Johnny to live with them once they got the apartment. Austin groaned. The hospital bills would eat up their money. There was no way they would get the apartment now. _What the fuck are you thinking? You brother is in the hospital and your worried about the money? _Austin chastised himself guiltily. Just then the doctor walked out. Austin sprang to his feet and rushed over.

"Doc, how's he doing?"

"Stable, it looks good. The bleeding was stopped in his leg and there wasn't any in his organs like we originally thought. He did break three ribs and has a pretty nasty concussion. We were worried about the brain swelling but it has settled down. His leg is broken and the bone has been set properly but that will be pretty painful for a while. Your brother is very lucky and from what I hear a hero," the doctor patted Austin's arm and went to leave but Austin stopped him.

"Can I see him?" he asked with hope. The doctor hesitated for a minute but then agreed.

"Only you, none of the rest of them," he said gesturing to the gang. Austin thanked him and woke up Darry. He told him the news and then followed a nurse to the room his brother was in.

"Now he has had a major trauma so he's hooked up to quite a few machines. It might be a little shocking to see," she warned him and then let him into the room. Austin felt tears spring to his eyes once more seeing his brother. His ribs were tightly wrapped and his leg was suspended off the bed, covered in a huge cast. He had tons of tiny band-aids all over, crisscrossing his face and any exposed skin. It killed Aussie to see several huge machines hooked up to his brother. Austin walked over to the chair beside his brother's bed and slipped his now bandaged hand into Dallas', knowing that if his brother woke up he'd probably slap him across the head but Austin just really needed to feel his brother's pulse under his fingertips.

One thing Dallas would never tell anyone except Austin was how fond he was of kids. Little kids especially but that wasn't tough so he acted all jaded and cold towards them. He hated junior highers, stupid annoying midpubescent fucks, who were trying to grow up before they should. Nothing pissed his brother off more than a kid having to grow up too fast. He loved little kids who liked to play and laugh not having any clue as to the nature of the cruel world around them. Austin knew that his brother would have died inside had that horse crushed that little girl. Dallas would make some excuse to the rest of the gang. He could hear his brother's cocky voice in his head saying something like he hadn't been thinking and if he could, would go back and squish the booger monster but Austin knew what had really happened. His brother kept his feelings so close to himself that no one knew he had any. Austin was the only person who Dallas let know him for who he really was. Johnny got tiny glimpses of the hoodlum's love but it was always covered and pushed to the side. He had a feeling that Two-Bit could see it. Two-Bit had a rep for being stupid but when it came to matters of the heart, Two-Bit couldn't be fooled. There were times when Dallas would do something particularly gruff to cover up what he was feeling and Two-Bit would have a look on his face that said _I know what your doing man_. Austin knew it drove his brother bonkers.

Austin spent the rest of the night there sitting beside his brother, unable to fall asleep or eat. He just sat and waited for Dallas to wake up, listening to the soft beeping of his brother's heart monitor.

* * *

Dallas growled in annoyance as he heard an annoying beeping noise. He opened his eyes and immediately closed them again in pain. He had a splitting headache and the bright lights didn't help much.

"Dallas?" he heard a weary, yet relieved voice ask him. He cracked open his eye to see his brother looking at him intently.

"What's going on?" Dallas asked confused.

"You don't remember? At the rodeo yesterday you got crushed by your horse saving that little girl," it all came painfully back to Dallas.

"Is that girl okay?" Dallas asked worriedly.

"Yeah man she's fine, it's you we were worried about," Dallas looked at his brother then, really looked at him. Frankly he looked like shit and Dallas told him as much. His blonde hair had clumps of dirt from the rodeo in it and he looked exhausted. His eyes were red and looked like he had bruises beneath them he was so tired. His hand was bandaged and Dallas asked him about that.

"Got mad at a wall," his brother shrugged non-chalantly. Dallas glared at him guessing what had happened. It worried him how much his brother depended on him sometimes, but then again he needed Austin just as much as Austin needed him. He sighed and settled back against his pillow.

"So what's the prognosis doc?" Dallas asked. Austin listed the various injuries and Dally whistled.

"Hot damn that's quite the list. Stupid kid, I shoulda just squished the booger monster."


	9. Tim and the Newspaper

Two-Bit sat back in his seat, with Johnny beside him. Darry, Soda and Steve had to work so they had split last night around ten after they found out Dallas was going to be alright. Darry had made Pony go too because he had school the next day. Two-Bit and Johnny had stayed, having nothing better to do. He was surprised to see Tim Shepherd sitting in the waiting room when he woke up that morning.

"Hey Tim, whatcha doing here?" Two-Bit asked walking over. Tim had a hard angry look on his face and was leaning back in his chair his thumbs hooked in his jeans.

"Curly was on his way to rob some liquor store last night when he got worked over by some Socs in a blue mustang. One of the bastards had some rings on, busted Curly's forehead wide open. Some of my boys were close by so he didn't get hurt too bad, just his forehead. I just wanted to put some Band-Aids on it but my mom insisted we take him to the hospital to get it stitched up. Apparently the little fucker has a concussion and the doctor's worried about some possible internal bleeding or some shit. I tried to tell them that Curly didn't get punched in the gut just the one in the head but they didn't listen to me. They wanted to keep him overnight for observation. So here I am," he grumped. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up. He offered one to Two-Bit who took it thankfully.

"I heard about Dallas man. He was in the paper this morning. Couldn't believe it didn't say wanted dead or alive on it. I still can't believe he put his own skin at risk to save some kid," Tim puffed on his cigarette handing Two-Bit the paper. There it was, front page, Hood Saves Girl In Rodeo. There was a picture of Dallas after he fell off the horse, with the paramedics loading him into the ambulance and a picture of the little girl with her parents. Two-Bit chuckled and tried to give the paper back but Tim just told him to keep it.

"So you looking for some payback on those Socs?" Two-Bit asked.

"No, unlike them we keep our deals. I'll save it for the rumble, then I'll get those no good…" Tim went on cursing and Two-Bit went back over to Johnny. He nudged the kid awake and showed him the paper.

"Wow, sure is tuff," Johnny said reading the article.

Austin came into the hall a big smile on his face.

"Dally's awake, doc said he can have visitors now," Austin told them triumphantly. He saw Tim and gave him a nod before following his friends. Two-Bit ran into the room with his arms up happily.

"Dally!" he shouted and got a disapproving look from the nurse who was double checking Dallas' vitals. He ran over and awkwardly pat him on the head having nowhere else to hug or otherwise console his friend with all his injuries. Dally glared at him and promised to knock Two-Bit's teeth out if he ever did that again. Johnny awkwardly stood near, trying not to seem too relived. Two-Bit slumped into the chair beside Dallas and threw the paper at him.

"So Mr. Hero, you think that cop will give you a free pass or something if ever he caught you doing your usual dumb illegal shit?" Two-Bit asked. Dallas ignored him and read the paper. Austin was sitting on the edge of Dal's bed reading the paper as well.

"This stunt better not bring child services down on our asses," Austin grumped. The brothers always worried whenever one of them got pulled into the police station that the cops would get wise to the fact the brothers weren't living with their father. Now with so much publicity the brothers worried their father might see where they are or the reporters might snoop into their past and see that they were runaways. The twins were almost eighteen so it wasn't so much of a worry anymore, more of an inconvenience but neither boy had much patience for inconveniences. Both of them had sworn they would never see their father again and both of them meant it with every fiber of their being.

* * *

The rest of the morning was spent with Two-Bit annoying the hell out of any and all medical personnel and the rest of them helping out when possible. Dallas refused to put on the nightgown the nurse brought for him and Two-Bit was being his usual obscene self, checking out all the nurses and making comments. One particularly perky little nurse walked by and Two-Bit yelled, "Nice rack!" She looked at him aghast and ran into the doorframe, then hurried down the hall, furiously blushing red. The boys killed themselves laughing and continued their shenanigans.

At two thirty Two-Bit and Johnny decided to leave, both exhausted and hungry. Austin was falling asleep standing up so he crawled into the bed beside his brother. It was kind of hard to fit both boys in the small hospital bed.

"Fuck, Aussie my ribs!" Dally winced tiredly as Austin accidentally bumped his knee into Dallas.

"Oh suck it up you big baby. I barely touched you."

"You could just sleep on the chair!"

"I'm not sleeping on no fucking chair while there is plenty of room in the comfy hospital bed," Austin grabbed the blanket and threw it overtop of the two of them. They both quickly fell asleep.


	10. Nightmares

Austin awoke suddenly as his brother started thrashing beside him, clipping Austin's jaw with his fist. Austin quickly tried to stop his brother's movements, as they were causing a lot of harm to his new wounds. He threw his arms around his brother's chest, pinning his arms to the bed. His brother was having a nightmare. Dallas had been having nightmares since he was little.

"Hey buddy, your okay. It's only a nightmare," Austin tried to soothe his brother's panic with soft words. Dallas started to calm down eventually while Austin softly rubbed circles on his brother's chest to calm him down. Ever since Dallas was little, he would have nightmares and Austin was usually there to calm him down. When Austin wasn't there, the nightmares got pretty intense; Dallas would sometimes wake himself up with his own screaming.

Austin rubbed his eyes tiredly and his jaw painfully. It was around seven-thirty and he was weak with hunger. Sure that his brother was past his nightmare he slipped from the bed and made his way over to the cafeteria to get some food. Both Dallas and Austin were used to going awhile without food, sometimes days. They had been very poor living at home and when they ran away it only got worse. He ate his food and grabbed some for later. He didn't bother grabbing anything for Dallas, knowing the nurses would do that.

On his way back he saw the Curtis'. He waved them over and took them to see Dallas. Dallas was getting the bandages on his ribs rewound but smiled big and said a heartfelt hello when he saw the Curtis'. The Curtis' were good friends to the twins. When they weren't out at the Ranch or at Buck's they were with the three brothers. Darry and Dallas got along real well, both the strong silent type, but Austin could tell no matter how much Darrel liked them, he didn't really like the twins around his younger brothers too much. Austin figured Darry was afraid they'd corrupt them or something. Sodapop and Austin got along real good. They were both life drunk, happy go lucky type guys. Both loved rodeo's, wrestling and most any sport. Ponyboy was Johnny's friend, so they put up with him. He was the baby, everyone doted on him and they all knew he was going to make something of himself. Austin guessed that's why they resented him a little, that and his smart mouth. Austin strolled further into the room, with Soda beside him. Darry asked Dallas how he was and Pony just stood near the door.


	11. Sunsets and Holding Hands

I rewrote Ch. 10, added some stuff.

Please Reveiw.

"Tim came in to see me while you were away. Curly is apparently laid up for awhile, bad concussion and had to get his appendix removed," Dallas explained to Austin. Pony hadn't known Curly was in the hospital. Him and Curly got along real well. They were similar in age and both knew what it was like to have an older brother with expectations they felt like they couldn't meet. Course, Tim wanted Curly to take over the gang and be the biggest bad ass out there and Darry wanted Pony to be studious and to keep his nose clean.

Pony decided to go see how his buddy was doing, after sitting and listening to his brother's and the twins for a while. Austin had cuffed Soda after a smart remark and the two were wrestling, while Darry and Dally were ignoring them. He asked Dally where Curly was and then excused himself. Darry told him to be careful and he rolled him eyes as he left, _how much trouble could I get into in a hospital? _He thought to himself. As he left he heard a crash and lots of cursing, as the wrestling pair knocked over a table with medical supplies on it. Pony passed a nurse hurrying into the room clucking her tongue.

He kept walking to the room where Dally said Curly was staying in. Dal had said Curly was expected to stay there for the next two weeks but Pony doubted Curly would be able to stay for more than a week. Sitting outside the room was Curly's younger sister Angela. Curly had only one sister, Angela and one brother, Tim. Angela was only fourteen but acted like she was a lot older. She had to look after the house and her two brothers because their mother was too smashed to do anything herself. Pony had seen Angela in passing but never really talked to her. Gosh was she pretty. Long black hair down to the middle of her back and with the same piercing green eyes as her older brother, she could quickly disarm any smart mouthed greaser with just a look. Tim sure had his hands full with his attractive sister, reckless bother and a tough greaser gang. Most men knew to leave Tim's sister alone, but the ones who didn't got a fist in the face for their trouble. Ponyboy smiled at her as he walked up.

"Hi Angel, how's Curly doing?" Pony stopping in front of her. She popped the gum in her mouth and smiled back at him.

"They are changing his bandages right now and then they want him to sleep. I was annoying him so they kicked me out," she explained to Pony, popping her gum again.

"So what happened?"

"He got beat up by some Socs. Wasn't hurt too bad, just had to get some stitches. He was showing some weird symptoms and the doctors took him in to get surgery. The Doc said it was actually a blessing he got clipped because they were able to see he had appendicitis and got it out of him real quick. He's doing good now."

"Where's Tim?" Pony asked awkwardly, still standing. He never was very smooth with girls, especially the ones he liked, and he had liked Angela for a long time. Sodapop told him he'd grow into it but Steve had joked that Pony had his head way too far in the clouds to ever even notice girls.

"Had to look after some business. Sit down why don't cha, it's awkward talking to you standing there like your ready to run away," She patted the seat beside her and Pony sat down gingerly. He pulled out some cigarettes and passed one to Angela who took it gratefully. After lighting her cigarette first, Pony nervously tried to look tuff as he leaned back in his chair. He leaned back too far and the chair fell out from under him and he sprawled on the ground.  
Angela peeked over at him and burst out laughing. Ponyboy blushed furiously and got up. He went to walk away but Angela stopped him.

"Oh don't go, your fine," she said giggling.

"Why would I stay? So you can laugh at me more," he pouted. He wasn't angry with her for laughing, had it been anyone else he would have laughed right along. He was angry because he had made a complete fool of himself in front the girl he liked.

"I'm sorry Pony, I won't laugh anymore. Just sit. Come on, I need a tuff greaser to keep me company. You never know what kind of people roam these hallways," she said sincerely, but Pony could see a hint of teasing in her eyes. He righted the chair and sat beside her again. The sun was just going down and Pony watched as the fading sunlight glinted off Angel's face from the window across the hall. She was staring at the lowering sun and suddenly realized Pony was watching her.

"What, never seen someone watch a sunset before?" she demanded defensively, green eyes glinting.

"No, I've just never seen someone else watch a sunset before," Pony said disarmingly. Angela looked at him, gauging whether he was making fun of her or not and when she noticed he was being sincere, she smiled and the two watched the sunset together. Pony hadn't realized Angel's hand in his till a while later. He wasn't sure if he had taken her hand or if she had taken his but neither or them were taking it back. Pony sat back and enjoyed the rest of the sunset with Angel at his side.


	12. Bruises and Syringes

I'm leaving for the summer so updates will be quite sparse but I'm not ditching this story. New Ch. will be up more often when I get back home. Thx for the support and patience.

Feedback Appreciated!

Sodapop gingerly lifted up his shirt took a look at the bruise forming on his left side over his ribs. It was massive and already black, blue and green.

"Dude! You should see this bruise, it's awesome!" Soda walked out of the hospital washroom smiling brightly showing off his colors to his brother and the twins. He and Austin had gotten into a tussle and had run into a table, upturning it and all of the medical supplies on it. A nurse had come in and almost kicked them out but they both apologized so desperately that she let them stay. The two hadn't found anyone who could resist the two of them yet; they were just so adorable.

"Wow, that's a doozey," Darry whistled.

"Yeah well at least you didn't get a syringe in the face!" Austin whined a bandage on his cheek. The nurse had nearly screamed when she first came in, seeing Austin ripping out a syringe that had been sticking in his cheek.

"I better not get some disease or something from this," Austin grumped sitting back in his chair. The boys visited for a little while longer but pretty soon it was getting dark and the Curtis brothers went to go get Pony. He was sitting beside Angel Shepherd and Darry was immediately in a bad mood. He didn't care too much for the Shepherds. He was fine with them coming around every once in awhile but he didn't want his brother getting into trouble and the Shepherds were nothing but. Their gang was one thing, they only got into minor scrapes and trouble every once in awhile but the Shepherd gang was a whole nother level. They lived and breathed trouble. Pony got up from his seat when he saw his brother's and fell into step behind them after saying good-bye to Angel.

Darry couldn't help but see the silent exchange between the two and he got a bad feeling in his gut. Pony hadn't had any girlfriends yet and Darry knew that Angel would probably be the first and that scared him. He was contemplating what he would say to Pony the entire ride home. He didn't' want to get into a fight with his brother but he needed to talk Pony out of doing anything with Angel.


	13. Missed Fishing Trip

Sodapop was nervous, real nervous. He was on his way back from the hospital with his brothers and the tension in the car was so thick it could nearly be seen. Soda knew that his brothers were about to get into a massive fight and he was trying to think of some way, anyway to divert it. Soda hated it when his brothers fought. They both always expected him to be on their own respective sides and whenever he tried to take the middle path or the odd time he chose sides he could see the hurt in the other brother's eyes and it killed him. Tore him up inside to be the cause of any pain to either of his brothers.

Soda had seen Pony quickly let go of Angel's hand when Darry and him had approached but he didn't think Darry had seen. He was happy that Pony had finally found a girl but he was kind of pissed that it had to be _this_ girl. It had to be the one girl Darry wouldn't allow. Though the more Soda thought about it the more he knew that Darry wouldn't like any girl Pony would. The two were too different; their women would be just as different. That and Darry was stupid protective sometimes, especially when it came to baby Pones. They were approaching the house when the idea popped into Soda's head and he had to smile to himself. The boys walked into the house and Pony went straight to his room. Darry opened his mouth the say the infamous words, "We need to talk," but Soda stopped him by covering his mouth. Darry pushed his hand away and shot a questioning look at him. "We need to talk," Soda pointed with his head out the door and walked out to the porch, not watching if Darry had followed, he knew he would.

"What's going on little man?" Darry asked a little defensively. Soda took a deep breath and put his plan into action.

"Okay, Darry now I know your up in arms against Pony because of Angel but if you go in there all puffed up with righteous anger, you know your only going to make Pony even more fixed on what he wants to do," Soda said in one long breath. Darry still looked a little defensive but he knew what his brother was saying was correct. Soda knew both of his brothers better then they knew themselves.

"Alright, well what do you suggest I do then? I can't just let them go out can I? Tim will pummel Pony if he ever found out. Angel is a nice girl and all and if it weren't for her brothers there wouldn't be trouble but they are there and they are trouble. That's trouble that Pony doesn't need to get involved in," Darry crossed his arms in front of himself, looking like he had made up his mind.

"Darry, we can talk to Pony but if you want to get him to not go out with Angel, you have to scare him away from girls and not argue him away from Angel."

"Well how are we going to do that?" Darry asked confused. Soda pulled up one of his eyebrows and gave Darry a look. Understanding dawned on Darrel and he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or die of embarrassment.

"Dad never got to take Pony for the _fishing trip_ did he?" Darry asked with sudden comprehension.

"Nope, he took you and I on our fourteenth birthday, but Dad hadn't been there for Pony's. So, what do you say you take Pony for that fishing trip," Soda said with a smile.

"What? I thought you were going to do it."

"No way man, you're the oldest, you do it."

"Uh uh, I'm so not getting into this. It was your idea, you do it!"

"Do what? What are you guys arguing about?" Pony asked from the door. The two older brother's looked at each other guiltily and then at Pony.

"Pony, we need to have the talk."


	14. Hating Hospitals and The Talk

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Like I said I am going to try my best to update as much as possible but it is going to be difficult for the rest of the summer.

Thanks to Becky, Terisa, rashel..quinn, PWEEZ101, sunkissedchris, ilovedallas, Someone Mysterious101, Alive Barker, DracoMalfoy4Ever, bubbleblub11, Veryfairygirl14, ducky'sgirl4ever, greasertwin, smileyface842 and Sparkling Grey for the reviews throughout this story. You guys are seriously awesome! And Thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites. **Please keep reviewing it seriously keeps me going!**

"Austin, could you hurry it up! I'm hungry," Dallas yelled from his bed. His brother had gone in search of the nurses, who hadn't brought him his food yet. Austin had stayed the night again but had to work today. Austin had refused to go at first but Dallas insisted that he go to work. They were going to need money if they were going to pay for the hospital bill. Dallas could tell Austin was getting antsy. Most people hated hospitals, but no one more than his brother and him. Austin and himself had been in and out of the hospital so often in their youth that the halls only reminded them of their dark and painful childhood. The frequent visits to try to save Austin's young life, without the money for the medication that was required, had been so often he was known by name by all the staff at the Mary Queen's Hospital in New York. Dallas had also been known but the two of them hadn't looked like twins back then. Though Dallas hadn't been particularly well fed he wasn't anywhere near as unhealthy as his twin. Austin had looked skinny and more like a skeleton than a ten-year-old boy. His skin had been pale white and his bones stuck out from under his skin. Those had been some of the scariest days of Dallas' life. All the while their father had been passed out most of the time and drunk the rest. Dallas hated hospitals.

Austin came in with two bowls of porridge a little later. The twins ate together, enjoying each other's silence and then Austin went off to get ready for work. He didn't say anything when he left but he gave his brother a meaningful look. Dallas didn't need words to know that his brother was telling him to feel better and not to act too stupid.

After Austin left, Dallas got a visit from Tim Shepherd. Curly was still in the hospital and Tim was pretty much bored out of his mind keeping an eye on him.

"Man am I ever glad you got squished, else I'd be holding up the hospital or something right now out of sheer boredom." Tim said bouncing a ball against the wall. Dallas tried not to yell at him and just sat quietly. He really wasn't in the mood to listen to Tim bitch all day. He lied back in his bed and counted down the minutes till his brother would come back from work.

Pony sat on the couch staring questioningly at his older brothers who were in front of him. Darry was pacing awkwardly and Sodapop was standing in front of Pony rubbing the back of his head and avoiding eye contact.

"What's going on guys?" Pony asked more than a little worried. Both of his brothers looked at him then at each other and then at nothing. They were both acting so strange that Pony was sure something big was about to go down. He had expected a talking to from Dar about Angel but the way his brother's were acting now, he wasn't sure this was it.

"Seriously guys, your freaking me out. What is going on."

Soda finally looked at Pony and Darry stopped for a second looking at Pony before started pacing again as Soda talked, cutting in once in a while.

"Well… you see Pony… When a boy…."

"A man," Darry cut in.

"Yes, yes a man. Um, when a man loves a woman some very strange things happen… to him."

"And same with a woman," Darry said. "They get… feelings… for each other."

"Yeah and these feelings make them do stuff… together." Soda finished for Darry.

"Oh dear heavens above, are you two trying to give me the sex talk?" Pony asked aghast. His eyes widened in horror and so did his brother's. All three of them stared at each other awkwardly for three or four seconds before Ponyboy burst out laughing. Soda and Darry in their awkward relief laughed right along with him, not quite knowing why.

All three laughed themselves into exhaustion and then kept right on laughing. Darry was sprawled on the couch, Pony on the floor and Soda was bent over the table trying to support himself.

After ten minutes of relieved, confused and spastic laughter Pony finally settled down.

"I'm fourteen, I know what sex is. The twins gave me 'the talk' a long time ago," Pony said from his spot on the floor. Soda and Darry were relieved and horrified at the same time. They couldn't imagine anything the twins had to say about sex would be very constructive but at the same time neither of them were really willing to get into THAT discussion again. The two of them suddenly realized that if Dallas and Austin couldn't scare Pony off girls there was only one person who could.

"Hey Pony, you wanna come hang out with Steve and I tonight?" Soda asked.


	15. A week later

Huge shout out to all my reviewers Thanks for the support.

sunkissedchris. : I really don't know quite how Steve is going to do it but I'm sure he will. He always finds a way ;)

Rubberdu3ky: I think that may be the direction I'm going in. Not quite sure. Or maybe I'll switch it and Dallas will get really sick, who knows. I don't know when I will update because I work at a kid's camp and it is a 24/6 job and I only get an hour off a day. I'll try my hardest but it's hard to update.

Terisa: lol thx. Sorry bout the mix up with the name ;)

Sorry to those who already read this, lol. I had a massively important typo. Sandy not Sylvia. I don't know where my brain was. Massive apologies all. Input greatly appreciated.

Austin leaned on the counter and chewed his thumbnail nervously. Quite honestly Austin was pissed. Usually Austin worked in the back room, a lot of physical labor that would have kept his mind busy, but the cashier hadn't shown up that day so Austin was stuck in the most mind numbing boring job in the store. Not only was he bored, he was also worried. He had already chewed all of the nails on his left hand down and had started on the right. It had been a week since Dallas had gone into the hospital and Austin had worked nearly every day. School in the mornings and work in the evenings and hospital with Dallas at night. He had to skip baseball practice twice this week already and Austin was getting antsy. Everyday he worked himself into exhaustion just to keep his mind busy but today he didn't get that option. It wasn't that he didn't trust his twin to be able to take care of himself; it was just that Dallas had the uncanny ability to get into the worst kind of trouble when he was injured. Not to mention today was Dallas' checkup day. The doctor was going to take off most of Dallas' bandages and cast the broken bones. The doctor was going to determine whether or not Dallas would be able to leave the hospital today and Dallas was stuck at the shop, doing nothing. And being at the shop was such a waste of time. No one had come in all day.

Just as Austin was about to call it quits and close up, he heard the door open as a customer came in.

Somewhere else in Tulsa…

"Come on Soda, this is stupid. I don't want to hang out with Steve," Ponyboy whined as he trudged his way over to the Dingo.

"Why not, Steve's fun. You usually like coming and hanging out," Sodapop said and Pony stopped walking.

"Not when all the two of you are gonna do is tell me horrifying girl stories. Honestly Soda, its not gonna work. Both you and Steve have girlfriends so girls can't be that terrible. I think old enough to make my own decision about this," Pony put his hands on his hips and waited for Soda's response. Soda turned around and chewed his lip for a minute thinking to himself. Pony had thought his brother's were going to leave this alone. He had asked Angel on a date for Saturday night, tomorrow night, and his brother's had found out. So here he was, on his way to be terrified into celibacy by Steve Randle.

"I know you think your old enough Pony but I just don't want you making the same mistakes that I have," Soda said with sigh. He had found out this week that Sandy was pregnant, and the baby was his. She had wanted to move away, but Soda had been able to be there for her and talk her out of it.

"I know that Soda, but it's still my life and my decision," Pony ran a hand threw his hair and sighed. He looked over when he heard a commotion to his left. Three Soc's stumbled out Tom's convenience store and ran as if the devil was on their tails.

"What was that about?" Soda asked a little worried.

"Isn't that where Austin works?" Pony asked worriedly and after sharing a knowing glance with his brother the two of them ran as fast as they could to the shop.


	16. Good Ol' Spalding Bat

Ponyboy was terrified. What if Austin was hurt? Those soc's had run out of the shop so fast. What if they had robbed the store, or beaten on Austin, or stabbed him? The thoughts raced through his head and he couldn't stop them, he only ran faster. Austin had always been the cement that kept their little gang together. Soda and Steve's best friend, a good prankster with Two-Bit, an intellectual conversation for Darry, a role model and protector for Johnny and Pony, and a brother, all the family he could ever need to Dally; Austin was as important to the gang as oxygen. He smoothed things out between all of them, defusing potentially dangerous arguments with his level head and funny bone. Ponyboy knew that to lose one member of the gang would be like loosing an arm. He outran Soda only seconds after they had started running and was just about at the door to the shop when the last Soc came limping out, Austin just behind with a bat in his hand.

"That's right! You better run you punk ass no good hooligans! I'll see you at the rumble!" He yelled after the retreating figures. Pony and Soda stopped beside Austin in relief and both tried to cover up their embarrassment. They had both been so worried and Austin had seen it on their faces when they ran up.

"What are you two upto? Helping Pony getting in shape for track or something, Soda?" Austin asked with a smile, leaning the bat against his shoulder.

Soda laughed awkwardly trying to catch his breath. "No, we saw them Soc's running from the shop like a bat outta hell and we thought maybe…"

Soda let the statement run into dead air and Austin let it stay there for a minute. He let the brothers squirm awkwardly for a minute before throwing them a rope.

"Yeah well good thing you did come 'round. If I know one thing about Soc's its that they don't learn a damn thing. They might come back but now I got myself some company," Austin said smiling broadly at the Curtis' before walking back into the shop. "You two want a coke?"

Both Pony and Soda followed Austin into the shop and accepted the offer. Austin laid the bat back beside the counter and went into the back. He came back a couple minutes later with two cokes. He put them on the counter and slid them to each Curtis.

"What happened?" Ponyboy asked Austin cocking his head to the side and concentrated on twisting the cap off the coke bottle in his hands. He sure was happy his overactive imagination had been wrong again, and that his friend was fine. Austin leaned against the counter nonchalantly.

"Not much, the dicks decided to jeer about my brother being laid up in the hospital, not being able to protect me during the fight and all that bull shit. As if I ever needed any protecting from the likes of Dally. I decided to put the fear of God in 'em with my good ol' Spalding bat."

"Shee-it," Soda slurred, "I can't wait for the rumble, I hate these Soc's and their fucking attitudes. I'm feeling the need to bust some heads."

"Speaking of, you and Stevo wanna meet me here after I'm finished work?"

"Yeah sure, what you got planned Fergie?" Soda asked taking a chug of coke.

"I'll explain when you two come out at 4:30."

Austin had only been half lying when he said nothing had happened with the Soc's.

The five soc's had come into the shop, jeering and pushing each other around. They didn't even look at any of the stuff around the store, they went straight to Austin, as if he had been the reason they were in the store. Austin had tensed immediately, stretching and clenching his knuckles behind the counter.

"Well would you look at what we've got here? George I didn't think they let trash work in our part of the town." A soc with a blue madras shirt and combed blonde hair said with a sneer. He looked to the guy beside him, who was a Soc with crooked teeth and a matching madras.

"No, Jim I didn't think so either but would you look at what we've got here. So greaser what are you doing on our side of town?"

Austin sighed, he so did not have the patience for this right now.

"Listen fella's, if your not gonna buy anything, you better skip out, or else I'm gonna have to call the cops and it just gets awkward from there."

"Ooo, what no bite anymore from the famous Winston twin? Well maybe you're the docile one. With your brother in the hospital you know no one is going to be able to save your ass."

"Hey buddy," Austin said buddy as if it were a curse, "I'm just following the rules here. I'll see you at the rumble and then we'll settle things out." Austin said eyeing the guy across from him with slitted eyes.

"Oh no, see we're here because we didn't think you were going to show up at the rumble. Your too chicken shit to do anything aren't you. Good thing for us your brother's fucked up. Maybe after we beat you into the hospital we'll take you there to go visit your brother…" The brute didn't get to finish his thought because Austin had sprang over the counter and decked the guy, George, as hard as he could in the nose. He nailed the next guy, who he suspected was Jim, in the kidney, followed by an elbow to his back as he fell down. The first guy went down gasping, blood streaming onto the madras, Austin noticed with a satisfying smile, and the other went down groaning. Before Austin could do anything else, the other three sprang onto him. Two of them held his arms as the third punched him hard in the abdomen and chest. Austin crumpled in on himself and they let him fall. They kicked him in the back and chest when he was on the ground and Austin had to gasp for breathe. He saw his baseball bat beside the counter and grabbed it. He slashed at the nearest soc, catching him in the shin as he kicked at Austin. Austin got to his feet and wildly swung the bat at the other four and they took off with the fifth limping behind and Austin brandishing the bat behind.

He had wanted to slump to the ground but Pony and Soda were suddenly there and he tried his best not to show how much he was hurting. He walked casually into the shop and offered his friends the cokes from the refrigerator in the back. Once out of sight he leaned heavily against the fridge door, letting the cool soak into him. He could barely breathe. After taking several large shaky breathes, he grabbed the coke and made a gallant effort to not let his hands shake. He strode out and leaned against the counter letting it take all his weight from his still shaking legs. It was nearly four when Pony and Soda left. Soda promised to be back in half an hour with Steve. Once they were out the door Austin sagged against the counter. It had been misery to stand up straight for the past hour. He gingerly lifted his shirt and saw purple and blue sprayed across his torso. His ribs looked a little puffy and he prayed none were broken. He grabbed a pack of frozen pees from the freezer and held it to his side, waiting for his friends to show up and plotting his sweet revenge.


	17. The Plan

Hey wonderful readers, PLEASE give me some more input and ideas. Or if you have questions/concerns. Even just happy encouragements are very helpful! PLEASE REVIEW.

Thanks so much to sunkissedchris and Ruberdu3cky for your constant support and encouragement!

Austin phoned Dallas's hospital room at four twenty. Dallas said that they were letting him go home the following day. Austin told him he was going to chill with Sodapop and Steve for a while so he'd be late. Dally told him to not be a jackass and to get back safely and then hung up. Steve and Soda showed up a little while later with Pony scuffling behind. Austin hadn't told Soda outright but he had kind of subtly insinuated to Soda that he didn't want Pony there. Soda had ignore him like usual.

"Hey Pony, you got anything else to do today?" Austin asked trying to sound casual but he really wanted Pony gone. He loved the kid, but what he planned to do tonight wasn't something Pony should get involved in.

"Nope, Soda promised to spend the day with me. So I ain't leaving," Pony said with a lift of his chin.

"He's fine Fergie," Soda told him and with a shared glance of annoyance from Steve, who didn't like Pony being around much either, Austin decided he was too tired to start something.

"Fine. You guys wait outside while I get my stuff."

Five minutes later Austin was outside with his bat in hand and a bag on his shoulder.

"What are we doing tonight?" Steve asked. He was jittering like an excited boxer before a fight. Tense muscles rippled under his shirt and he bounced slightly from foot to foot. Steve knew that action was in store for him tonight.

"Well, Dallas is getting out of the hospital tomorrow and I'm going out of my skin staying at Buck's all the time. I had enough money for an apartment before Dally's accident but now I'm a couple hundred short. I already put a down deposit on the apartment a week ago and if I don't come up with the money tomorrow, I lose that and the apartment," Austin explained to his friends.

They shared a look and Pony looked at him.

"We ain't got no money to loan you," he said and Austin rolled his eyes and almost slapped him. Steve did. He gave Pony a light slap to the back of his head.

"Of course not, he ain't stupid, stupid. He needs us to help him get the money a different way," Steve said already guessing Austin's plan.

"How's that?" Pony asked looking from Steve to Austin to Soda and back to Austin.

"We gonna roll over some poor shop keeper?" Steve asked Austin, ignoring Ponyboy.

"Nope, we're gonna mug us some Soc's," Soda said guessing Austin's train of thought.

"Exactly."

As soon as Pony heard the plan, he wished he had taken Austin's hint and left. Pony did not like mugging people. Even Socs who clearly deserved it, and could afford it. Losing six hundred dollars wasn't a big deal to someone who considered that pocket change, but to a greaser it was huge. Austin was six hundred dollars short of his rent fee and he needed it badly. So what were buddies for if not to back you up when you decided you needed the money enough to mug someone but Pony hated violence. Although everything in him screamed for him to go home and read a nice book, he couldn't walk away now, not without looking like a total chicken. So he stayed, and regretted it.

Later

Steve was still bouncing up and down when they got to the alley they had decided to prowl. Soda thought that they should have waited till it was dark but they all knew how hard it would be to get out of the house with Darry in it at night and Austin had wanted to go see his brother as soon as he was done. So they picked an alleyway that wasn't frequently traveled and dark enough that you couldn't really see in it from the street. The plan was for Pony, who was always bait seeing as he was the fastest, to taunt a couple of guys into the alleyway where Steve, Soda and Austin would be waiting. Austin had his bat, Steve had a knife and Soda found a pipe.

"Alright Pony… Pony. Hey! Are you listening kid?" Austin asked him. He had one hand on his shoulder and was trying to look him in the eye but Pony was too nervous to make eye contact. He kept looking out towards the alley where his brother and Steve were waiting. He was jittering slightly, trying to pump himself up. Pony usually wasn't so skittish. Sure he hated knives and stuff but usually this sort of thing didn't freak him out so much. Ever since he had been jumped and that night where he had almost been drowned, (something in him knew that that could have been really really bad had Austin not showed up) he was a lot more wary of violence. But Pony was a greaser, a hood and he wasn't gonna turn down his gang.

"Concentrate kid," Austin pulled Pony out of his thoughts, slapping him lightly on the face and kept his hand on the kids jaw so he would look at him. Pony actually looked at Austin now and held his gaze.

"Your gonna be fine kid. This is easy peasy, we've done it a million times before."

"I know," Pony said with a loud breath. Austin removed his hand from Pony's face but kept his other hand on his shoulder.

"Now make sure you get someone who looks like they carry alot of pocket change alright and make sure you don't get any groups bigger than two. And don't get anyone too big, but not too small either. We want a challenge but not someone we couldn't beat up in the end."

"Alright Austin I've been bait before I know how this goes. I'll be fine," Pony said pumping his shoulders up and down. He copied what he always saw Steve doing to get geared up and jumped lightly from foot to foot. Austin grinned at him widely and clapped his hand on Pony's face a couple of times before running across the street and towards the alley.

"Oh and no dames! Or kids," Austin yelled from the alley entrance. Pony ignored him and tried to look inconspicuous. He tried leaning against the fence but he was fidgeting too much. He tried pacing but then he looked odd. He settled with pretending to read a paper he found on the ground. There was no one on the street so far that looked like they would fit the profile. A few old ladies with shopping baskets, a couple kids walking home from school. There were a couple of older guys with suits that went into the grocery store but Pony knew they probably had families and felt bad mugging someone's father. Pony was really starting to think that they weren't going to find anyone, when two young Soc's bumped into him from behind, causing him to drop his paper. He hadn't seen them come into the street but these two looked exactly like what he wanted. Arrogant eyes flashed him a wry smile as the blonde excused himself sarcastically. His friend with black hair and blazing blues eyes laughed harshly. The two walked away laughing, their matching athletic jackets looking clean and pompous. Pony grabbed a rock from the ground and hucked it at the blonde. It bounced harmlessly off the guys back.

"What the hell?" the guy said turning to Pony suddenly. He glared daggers at him.

"You wanna make an issue of this or something greaser?"

Pony didn't know what to say so he just flipped the guy off and the two soc's immediately bolted after him. Pony stood for a moment in panic before he remembered what he was suppose to do and burst into a run. The Soc's ran right on his heels, cursing at him and telling him that he was dead.


	18. Three Seventy Five

Pony ran headlong into the entrance of the alley and tripped on a piece of trash laying on the ground. He went flying into the alley and sprawled on the ground. He tried to pick himself up but the two guys were on him. They pushed him back down and just as the first guy pulled his foot back to kick Pony, a flash of what Pony assumed was Soda, plunged headlong into the guy, throwing the two of them to the ground. Pony heard a clang as Soda dropped the pipe he had when the two wrestling men hit the ground. The second soc was about to leap onto Soda but Steve grabbed him from behind and held a knife to his throat, hissing at him to keep still. Austin came out of the shadows the bat on one shoulder. He riffled through the blonde's pockets as Steve held him. He found his wallet and pulled the cash free. He dropped the wallet to the ground and went to the second Soc, who Soda was sitting on, pinning him to the ground. He grabbed the second wallet, picked the cash from the leather wallet and dropped the wallet. He walked to Pony and pulled him from the ground.

"Now boys, I think you should take off while your still in one piece," Austin said to the two Soc's, gesturing to his friends to let them go. The two boys picked up their wallets from the ground and ran from the alley. Austin smiled at his friends and took off running the other direction, knowing his friends would follow. Austin stopped running a few blocks away and sat down on a picnic bench. He pulled the cash from his pocket and started counting it. The others had arrived and Steve and Soda were wrestling in the grass. Pony sat beside him and watched him count the money.

"How much?" Pony asked after the money was safely put back into Austin's pocket.

"Three seventy five. I was hoping we'd get it all in one go. I guess we're going back out," Austin got up from the table and pulled Steve off of Soda, who had Soda pinned. He started walking, searching for a new alleyway, the other three walking behind, goofing off. The alley they found was almost exactly like the other, except the other end was a dead end. Austin didn't like the idea of being stuck in the alley but he just wanted to go back to his brother so he left it.

They had the same game plan, Pony on the street with the other three in the alley.

Pony started just like he had in the other street but this time he didn't get to wait very long. He was watching a pair of kids playing across the street, when he scanned around himself and saw something that made his blood suddenly turn to ice. He got to his feet as quick as he could started to walk in the other direction as fast as possible without running. Maybe they hadn't seen him yet. That thought was killed when Pony heard running feet coming up after him and Pony took off.


	19. The Alley

Huge shout out to all my reviewers Thanks for the support. Sorry about the wait.

Austin was hurting like crazy. He could barely breathe or walk but he managed to get this far in the day and nothing was going to stop him from getting what he needed. If there was one word that described Austin Winston it was stubborn. Especially when it came to the welfare of his brother. His ribs were battered and bruised on both the front and the back, which made it extremely painful to inhale and exhale. He leaned against the wall of the alley, with Soda and Steve on the other side of him. They were waiting in the alley for Pony to bring in the next batch of Soc suckers.

He stood just inside the mouth of the alley hidden in the shadow of the building. He was getting bored, waiting for Pony, and anxious. He was already late; his brother had been expecting him hours ago. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Just then he heard the heavy running footfalls. There sounded like a lot of them. He dropped the smoke and tightened his grip on his bat, waiting for Pony to come streaking into the alley. The kid came in yelling something, but Austin couldn't hear what he had said. He swung at the guy who came in after Pony, hitting him on the shins. The Soc fell on his face and tripped up the second guy who was right on his heels. Austin was surprised when someone tackled him to the ground. He fell hard and hit his head. He could feel the blood dripping from a cut in his hair. The guy on top of him was throwing punches at his face and neck. Austin blocked them as best he could before throwing the guy off of himself and getting to his feet. With a quick glance around the alley he saw that there were eight Soc's who had followed Pony into the alleyway and they were armed. Austin looked down at the guy he had tossed to the ground and as he kicked a knife away from the Soc's hand, he recognized him as the guy they had beaten up this morning. He kicked him in the head and the Soc lay still. Another Soc jumped on Austin but Austin flipped the guy onto the ground and socked him a couple of times. He was tackled from behind, this time by two Soc's. They held him down and hit him until Austin saw black and red. Just then the Socs were ripped from him and Austin was left gasping and sputtering on the ground. He rolled onto his side and tried to regain his breath.

All he could hear at first was a piercing ringing sound, but that soon faded.

"Shit, Stevo can you hear me buddy?" Austin heard muffled voices from behind him. He propped himself onto his elbow and then stumbled to his feet. Austin's gaze was sluggish and his mind fuddled as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. There was no sign of any Socs in the alley anymore. He saw Pony sitting propped up against the wall with his head in his hands and was that tears on his cheeks. The kid was swearing and mumbling to himself. Austin was confused when he saw both Tim and Curly Shepherd in the alley with them. When had they gotten there? Tim was pacing, agitated, and Curly was with Soda. Both were knelt over something but Austin couldn't see what. He took a step closer and then another until he was standing above them. Steve lay in a pile on the ground. He was clutching his side and cursing low between clenched teeth.

"Fuck," Austin said seeing the blood oozing from between Steve's fingers.

Break

Dallas was going crazy with boredom and anxiety. Austin was hours late and Dallas was getting worried. He had seen the doctor that day and he had been given the all clear to go home after one more night under observation. He had been ecstatic. He probably would have just left tomorrow if they weren't releasing him. He hated hospitals, loved the nurses, but hated hospitals. No one had come to see him today and he could really use a visit. And just like that someone was knocking at his door. He hoped it was Austin and got a string of curses ready to yell at his twin but these were stopped short when he saw he was at his door.

"Hey man, can I come in?" Johnny asked hesitantly from the door. Poor kid had a new shiner and was as skittish as ever. Dallas locked his jaw in anger, when he saw the bruise and Johnny thought it was directed at him. He went to close the door but Dally stopped him.

"Yeah kid, come in. I'd never turn ya away, you should know that by now. I'm mighty glad you decided to show up. I'm bored outta my mind!" Dallas said giving Johnny a big smile, hiding his rage. Dallas was honestly going to kill Johnny's father one day. It drove him up the wall to see the kid so scared and hurt all the time. The worst part was that Johnny took it. He loved his father and didn't blame him for the bruises. His own drunken father had abused Dallas and as soon as he and Aussie were old enough to look eighteen they took flight but that wasn't Johnny's way. He constantly looked for love and affection from the people who were incapable of showing it to him. It killed Dallas that he was so churlish to the kid sometimes but he couldn't help it, that was his way and Johnny didn't fault him for it.

"How's school?" Dallas asked once Johnny was seated beside him. Johnny shrugged and said. "Dunno, same old. How're you feeling?"

"Like I'm going crazy. Even when I dream I'm still in this ga-damned hospital," Dallas nearly yelled. He sat back in his bed and smiled to himself. He loved causing a ruckus in such a quiet peaceful place.

"Did you bring me what I asked you for?" Dallas asked suddenly remembering his request from his young friend.

"Yup, wasn't hard to find. Here ya are," Johnny said pulling a rolled up magazine from his back pocket. Dallas smiled at the Sport's Illustrated magazine on his lap and then ruffled Johnny's hair.

"Good boy. So I get out of this shit hole tomorrow, though I'm not looking forward to being laid up at Buck's all week. Maybe I'll crash at the Curtis'. They have better food there."

"Darry might let you if you act decent," Johnny replied with a teasing smile.

"You little shit," Dally said pulling Johnny into a headlock and gave him a few fake punches. Moving like that felt good, stretching his sore muscles and getting back into his usual playful self. His broken bones seethed with pain but he ignored then and continued to gently harass the younger boy. Life was good right then, and would have continued that way had Austin not just walked in. He had blood covering the side of his face and matted in his blonde hair. His clothes were ripped and he looked bruised and battered.

Dallas immediately let Johnny go and started swearing at his brother.

"What happened," was the translation of all the swears that came from his mouth. It was just then that Dallas looked at Austin's hands and white shirt beneath his jean jacket. They were covered in blood.

"It's Steve's," Austin said with a hollow voice, staring at his hands and then met Dallas' identical eyes "he's been stabbed."


	20. Why Steve?

Yup, I'm still writing this. I started a new job recently and it is a lot more demanding than I thought it would be, sorry about the wait.

Enjoy and REVIEW

Luv to my reviewers!

Pony paced, waiting for news about his friend. He kept replaying the fight in the alley over and over in his mind. If only he had been faster, smarter, then Steve wouldn't have had to try to save him. Why had Steve done it? Pony had always thought that Steve didn't like him. Steve tolerated him, for the most part but he never would have thought he'd do something like that for him. Pony once again slipped into the memory.

He had been terrified, seeing eight angry Soc's looking for him. The two guys they had rolled over this morning were leading the other six and they all looked pissed. When he had taken off down the street, he had thought about bypassing the alley and trying to out run the Socs on his own but just as the thought entered his head he was turning into the alley. He yelled to Soda that there were a lot of them. Austin had taken down the first one and the second tripped over his downed buddy. Then the third tackled Austin to the ground. Pony turned around to see the next five barreling down after him, Soda and Steve. Two of the Socs had knives in their hands and Pony felt a shiver of fear go from his collarbone to the pit in his stomach. Pony jumped on one of the skinnier, unarmed guys and started pummeling him. Soda bashed one of the guys holding a knife with the pipe and the knife went off into the darkness of the alley. Austin kicked away the knife of the second guy before being tackled by another guy who Austin flipped onto the cement. Steve was wrestling with another two guys and was holding them off. The guy Pony had had pinned gained the upper hand and pinned Pony to the ground. Pony's eyes got huge when he saw the Soc pull out a knife. The guy was a couple years older than him, tall, lanky and had blonde hair. He had a Tiger's football jacket on with the name Kevin written on the breast pocket. Just then one of the Brumly boys, Alex, along with both Curly and Tim Shepherd ran into the alley, throwing punches. Tim saw the knife in Kevin's hand but Pony could tell Tim was too far away to help him in time. As Kevin, raised the knife to stab him, Pony closed his eyes tight but suddenly the weight on his chest was gone. His eyes sprang open and he saw Steve, who had tackled Kevin from on top of him, punching the guy over and over.

"Steve stop," Soda, commanded breathlessly, coming over to his friend. Steve kept on hitting the Soc. The rest of the Sacs had taken off when they saw their odds of winning had slipped away. Soda tried to pull Steve off of Kevin but Steve shrugged him off and pulled his fist back again. Tim stepped in and hauled Steve brusquely off the kid and Curly grabbed the guy's wallet. The Soc took off stumbling from the alley, crying and leaving a trail of blood. Tim turned Steve around yelling at him when he stopped mid sentence. Steve was clutching his side. Soda was about to ask if he had broken some ribs when Steve collapsed. Tim was able to catch him and help him to the ground. Blood pooled from between Steve's fingers. Tim yelled at Alex to go get help. Pony had collapsed against the wall, nearly in a panic. He hadn't even noticed he was crying until a tear splashed onto his hand. Pony wiped angrily at his eyes and stared at Steve as he practically writhed on the ground in pain.

That had been nearly two hours ago and Pony was seriously considering just busting into the Steve's room and demanding to know why Steve did what he did. Pony tried not to cry now. Austin had taken a look at the wound and it hadn't been that deep. It had been more of a long gash than an actual stab wound. They had brought Steve to a buddy of theirs whose girlfriend was a nurse. Steve couldn't afford a hospital and didn't think he needed one. Alison had taken Steve into the closed off bedroom to stitch up and clean the wound. Steve had cursed a lot. Ali had said he would be fine but he had to sleep. So that's where he was now, asleep in Alison's spare bedroom. Pony was tired of having his friends and family's lives threatened because of some ridiculous squabble over who you were and where you lived. He was tired of getting jumped and especially tired of dealing with knives. He hated knives. Today had really not been his lucky day.


	21. Guilt

Austin watched the blood run down the drain as he tried to quell his raging guilt. Steve's blood and his blood ran together down his body and into the water before disappearing down the drain. He knew he shouldn't have chosen that alley. He should have just gone home, instead of rushing the job but he hadn't and now another friend was hurt. Steve would be okay, but it could have been a lot worse. Austin finished his shower before gingerly getting out.

He looked in the mirror and winced at the vivid display of colors on his body. He decided that a couple beers would be the best medicine before sleep. He pulled a towel on and headed into the Curtis' kitchen and shot gunned a beer. Soda had insisted that he stay the night before going to the hospital the next morning to pick up Dallas. He stayed in their spare bedroom that had once been Mr. and Mrs. Curtis' room. Austin had never felt comfortable staying in their room but tonight he was too sore and too tired to think about it. He fell asleep the minute he fell onto the bed.

He opened his eyes suddenly and tried to get up but found that he couldn't. He knew he had to get up and run but he couldn't. His muscles refused to cooperate. He saw the flames in front of him come closer and closer, but he still remained transfixed to the bed. With a jolt of panic he realized he could see Dallas burning in the fire and he heard a man laughing behind him. Suddenly the sound of his father's voice was in his ear.

"I always knew you were too weak to do anything worth a damn. You couldn't even save your brother," Austin tried to move, to scream, to do anything but he was completely helpless as he watched his brother burn in front of his eyes, his father's laugh echoing inside his head.

Austin's eyes flew open and he sat up with a start. He gasped deep gulps of oxygen into his lungs and looked around the room frantically. He was still in the Curtis' house, no burns of bodies around him. He could hear Soda and Darry laughing in the kitchen and he flopped back onto the bed, rolling over onto his stomach.

He had been so tired the night before he hadn't even gone under the blankets. He had fallen asleep in his towel on top of the made bed. He lay in bed not moving for a long time. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the image of Dallas burning on his closed eyelids, so he stared at the wall in front of the bed. Just as he was gathering the strength to get up, Soda stepped into the room with an orange juice in his hand.

"Morning sunshine, it's midday and the world is already up" Sodapop started to say jovially but cut off suddenly and exclaimed, "Holy crap, your body!"

"I know I'm an attractive male Soda but you really should control yourself," Austin mumbled into the bed sheet, turning his face to look at Soda.

"No man, your friggen black, orange, green, purple and blue! You look like an ugly discolored rainbow you have so many colored bruises. Is this all from yesterday?" Soda asks skimming his fingers lightly on the bruises.

"Don't touch, they're sore man. Yeah, most of them are from the first fight in the shop," Austin said rolling over onto his back with a grunt. He shifted and stood slowly. Soda threw him his shirt and boxers and after watching Austin very painfully struggle into his boxers, keep his towel on, and do it with as much of his dignity as possible, Soda helped him into his t-shirt. What worried Soda was that Austin didn't wave him away. He accepted his help graciously.

"Dude, maybe you should stay here and let just Pony and I pick Dallas up. We'd bring him straight here," Soda said and Austin thought about it for a minute.

"No man, Pony has his big date today. I don't want to make him late for it, not with all of the big helpful hints Dally and I have given him," Austin said with a lewd grin. Soda almost smacked him but remembered his mosaic of bruises and just scowled at him instead.

"Alright well, will you be ready in five minutes?" Soda asked.

"Yeah dude, pull the car out front and I'll be out," Austin shoed Soda towards the front door and walked into the kitchen to grab a sandwich from the fridge, before pulling on his jeans and limping towards the front door. Pony was in the washroom greasing up his hair meticulously. Austin smiled like a demon, snuck up behind him and ruffled the kid's perfected hair before wishing him luck with Angel.

"Austin! I spent ten minutes on getting that cowlick to stay down and now its straight back up," Pony yelled at Austin's quickly retreating form.

"Don't worry, as soon as you see Angel it won't be the only thing sticking straight… oh hey Mrs. Anderson," Austin stopped mid sentence on seeing the Curtis' middle aged neighbor at the door. "Darry you have company!" He yelled inside before he briskly stepped around her and jumped into the car with Soda.


End file.
